Her First Mistake

Chapter Seventy-Three: Good Luck. Don't Die

   In the front stood Dani Darhk and Kingsley. Dani wasn't wearing the Dark Star armor. Instead, she wore black leggings with tears throughout them. Her arms were covered with dark purple sleeves. She'd tied back her braids to reveal the curvature of her jaw -- not at all unlike Daniella's. The tattoos of foreign words and runes crawled up her neck and curved around her ears. Even her fingers were covered with them. The ink covering my arm seemed to burn at the sight of her, even though my presence was masked. The link didn't even know she was close. The burning I was feeling was nothing but my own fear.

   Kingsley stood beside her. Unlike Dani, he wore the armor. His stature was thin and narrow, but he still stood strong. Muscles wreathed his narrow shoulders. The star in the middle of the row on his chest was colored dark blue, instead of purple. He'd finally ditched the baseball cap. I could see his eyes from here. The rim of his iris was black, but the iris itself was white. The pupil of his eye stood out starkly against his pale eyes.

   Dani's lip curled as her gaze landed on the Enforcers -- all thirty of them. They stood in groups of ten, three squadrons glaring her down. The Enforcers looked tiny compared to the Dark Stars, which wasn't easy.

   "Kingsley," her voice said. "You never said we'd have guests."

   His eyes swept over the Enforcers. "I said there was a mild chance."

   "Yeah?" She surveyed the opposition. "How mild for you to not have warned me?"

   He shook his head. "Less than half a percent. Too many events had to align . . . but it appears Fate had another plan."

   Dani's lip curled up. "No matter. At least I get to play with my food." Her eyes lingered in Mark's direction. My hand clenched tightly into Daniella's forearm.

   She raised her voice. "I didn't think the Enforcers were this stupid."

   Captain Lugo stepped out of his line, eyes hard. I could see how his arms were tense, preparing for an attack. "You didn't seriously think we'd allow you to massacre our leaders, did you?"

   Her smile became hungry. "No, I didn't." She tilted her head. "I'll enjoy watching you die."

   It appeared to be a command. With a single movement, all members began rushing forward and across where the barrier had stood. The Enforcers released cries and launched to meet them. The two sides clashed with the clangs of metal and shrieks of animals. Mage colors arose from the Enforcer side and dark magic met them. It was a horrific sight. I felt sick to my stomach.

   Daniella swallowed. I shook my head. "Good luck. Don't die."

   "I'll try," she said quietly. I nodded and stretched my free hand forward. Magic formed into my palm and I shaped it into a rough knife. The hilt dug into my palm as I stretched for the gap. I'd never had the chance to practice, but I'd seen Daniella do it enough. My hand met the gap -- just as it did when I would reach for my staff -- and I jabbed the blade down. Letting go of Daniella's hand, I hauled myself into the gap.

   My feet landed against a dark ground. The noises of the fight became muted. Oxygen trickled into my lungs, but it was already better than before. The air itself was tainted darkly, but I could breathe. Some relief hit me, but not much. I looked down at my arm to see a red string tied around my right arm. It trailed through the gap towards where Daniella stood in the Mortal Realm.

   My eyes darted across the gap. Where every Dark Star member stood, a ghost followed them. A body collapsed against the ground. In the distance, fog covered the horizon from the ground to the sky. It rose like a wall of clouds. Swirls trickled towards each person and tunneled through their body. A small, wispy string around each of their throats pulled the magic into the Mortal Realm.